This invention relates to the field of throttle controls for recreational vehicles such as snowmobiles, and in particular to a mechanism which allows for the throttle control of such vehicles from a remote location.
Snowmobiling is a very popular recreational pastime. One drawback of snowmobiles, however, is that they sometimes get stuck. When this occurs, because snowmobiles are heavy, they are very difficult to manoeuvre. Often what is required is that the operator, who is often alone, must walk to the front of the snowmobile and try to free the snowmobile by pulling on the front skids or otherwise on the front end of the snowmobile. It is often advantageous in assisting freeing the snowmobile to have a second person operate the throttle of the snowmobile as the snowmobile operator is tugging on the front end to thereby gain the assistance of the snowmobile""s motivating force as the front skis are dislodged. It is also advantageous to be able to control the throttle by foot pressure rather than solely by use of a thumb control.
When however the operator is alone, it is not possible to simultaneously pull on the front of the snowmobile and operate the snowmobile throttle which is typically located as a thumb controlled lever on the snowmobile handle bar.
Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to provide a remote control device for remotely actuating the snowmobile throttle, and in particular, remotely operating the throttle by an operator standing in front of or behind the snowmobile. It is also advantageous to be able to control the throttle by foot pressure rather than solely by use of a thumb control.
In the prior art, applicant is aware of various innovations to do with throttle mechanisms on snowmobiles and like recreational vehicles, however, these are restricted to throttles affixed to the recreational vehicle in the usual position and manner. As an example, application is aware of the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,997 which issued Dec. 9, 1980 to Swanson for a Switch and Throttle Lever Combination for Use in Conjunction with Snowmobile Engine Speed Limiting System, U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,312 which issued to Berg et al on Nov. 3, 1998 for a Progressive Throttle Lever, and Canadian Patent No. 1,279,557 which issued Jan. 29, 1991 to Bourret for a Throttle Lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,580,100 which issued to McDermott teaches providing a driving instructor with handles which may be actuated to pull a cable so as to remotely and entirely disengage the throttle mechanism of an automobile. No throttle speed control is given to the instructor so that when the instructor decides to over-ride a student""s throttle input, by actuating the handles, the hook (78) on the cable actuated bell crank (72) entirely disengages from the aperture (106) in the inner plate-like slide (40) thereby allowing the throttle valve control arm (18) to move to the idle position under the biasing action of a spring (114). Thus the instructor""s control over the throttle is entirely removed as the throttle returns to idle until the student removes his or her foot from the accelerator pedal so as to allow foot throttle control to be reconnected by re-engaging of the bell crank with the slide.
The remote throttle control device is for mounting on snowmobiles. The device is not intended to include the snowmobile per se, with exception perhaps of only the throttle thumb-lever. The device includes a throttle coupler which is for releasable mounting to a snowmobile throttle thumb lever or which is build into the lever as an integral component. The throttle coupler is mountable to a first end of a flexible push/pull cable. A remote actuator is mountable to the opposite second end of the push/pull cable, opposite the first end. The remote actuator is for pushing or pulling the push/pull cable, so as to respectively push or pull the throttle coupler. When the throttle coupler is mounted to the thumb lever, or formed as part of the thumb lever, pushing or pulling on the cable rotates the thumb lever to accelerate or decelerate the snowmobile""s motor.
The remote throttle actuator is mounted to a handle adapted for grasping and pulling by a user. A tether is releasably mounted to the handle. The tether is adapted for releasable mounting, for example by a hook, to a ski of the snowmobile.
The embodiment gives the user all the advantages of a remote throttle controller plus allows the user to pull with both hands, control the throttle, and stand in an upright position while running the snowmobile. One advantage is the added pulling power a user may achieve. The user uses their body as a counter-weight for added pulling power. Applicant""s believe that this allows the user to apply seventy-five to one hundred percent more pulling power than the user ordinarily would have by merely pulling on the ski, for example because the user is not bent over trying to pull on the ski. There is no way to get any leverage when you are bent over, and many skis can be hard on the hands as they are not designed to be pulled on. The throttle and hook strap gives you added length from where you would normally grab the ski. This is nothing short of a total back saver for a lot of situations. It works especially well when you are standing at a level higher than the snowmobile; we are faced with this type of situation more often than not. Ninety-five percent of the time you will be able to stand totally upright which is not hard on your back at all. The hook/strap is removable from the hand throttle attachment, so it will be out of the way for situations with no heavy pulling needed. The applicants believe this new attachment is equal to having three people pulling and operating the throttle. Normally with three people you would have two people pull and one run the throttle. This may now be achieved single-handedly.
The throttle coupler may be a rigid lever arm mountable at a first end thereof to, or formed as part of the thumb lever, and at an opposite second end thereof to the first end of the push/pull cable. The throttle coupler may further comprise a rigid mounting arm for mounting an end of the conduit to the snowmobile adjacent the lever arm.